150,000 Books Distributed in Sierra Leone



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During a recent ceremony at its new Field Office in the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown, Life for Relief and Development distributed 150,000 English-language books to representatives of some 70 schools and libraries from around the country.

The books, which are valued at over $2 million, included modern textbooks that cover mathematics, science, and literature, as well as works of children’s fiction.

The books were donated to Life by the American publisher Pearson Education and Life’s longtime partner the Brother’s Brother Foundation.  Life in turn shipped the books from the US to Sierra Leone and was responsible for their distribution in-country.

Officials from government ministries, foreign missions, and non-governmental organizations were on hand to help celebrate this major boost to the educational infrastructure of Sierra Leone.

Madam Khadija Sam Sumana, the 2^nd Lady of Sierra Leone, served as the ceremony’s guest of honor.  In her remarks, Madam Sumana praised Life for the years of dedicated support it has offered to the children of Sierra Leone, and she pledged to continue the government’s collaboration with Life in the sphere of development through education.

The chairman of the Network of Libraries in Sierra Leone excitedly cheered on Life’s efforts.  He described the latest book distribution in terms of magnitude, stating that “it’s the first of its kind in Sierra Leone.”

The secretary general of the Network of Librarians and Information Society expressed his sincere gratitude on behalf of all 70 institutions that received consignments of books at the ceremony.  He also promised on behalf of the beneficiaries that the books would be properly processed and displayed by the staff of the schools and libraries where they will be housed.

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